Matt Panayides: Field Theory

Guitarist Matt Panayides has assembled a formidable crew for Field Theory, his latest on the Pacific Coast Jazz label. Rich Perry is on tenor saxophone, sharing the front line with Matt Vashlishan, heard exclusively on an Akai EWI (electronic wind instrument). Robert Sabin on bass and Mark Ferber on drums round out the quintet on this date, which performs an even dozen of Panayides’ intriguing and provocative originals. The constantly shifting proportions of acoustic and electric sounds, from both the EWI and Panayides’ assortment of pedal effects, combined with the exquisitely forceful drumming of Ferber makes for a consistently stimulating listen. High points include Panayides’ smoking solo work on Disturbance and the title track, Rich Perry’s snaky solo on Field Theory, Vashlishan’s quirky circus organ sound on Looking Round Corners, and the perfectly matched team of Robert Sabin and bass and Mark Ferber on drums just about everywhere. And while nobody asked me, I’d love to hear a trio session with just Panayides, Sabin, and Ferber. Until that happens, I’m more than happy to keep Field Theory in rotation. 

Pacific Coast Jazz PJ93445; Rich Perry (ts) Matt Vashlishan (wind synth [Akai EWI]) Matt Panayides (g) Robert Sabin (b) Mark Ferber (d); Paramus, NJ, February 27, 2020; Kite Flying/ Disturbance/ Closer Now/ Field Theory/ Looking Round Corners/ Energy Mover/ 2.27.20/ Penta Folk: Arrive/ Penta Folk: Coalesce/ Penta Folk: Ascend/ Penta Folk: Depart/ Self Narrative; 55:46. mattpanayides.com

Roberto Magris & Eric Hochberg: Shuffling Ivories

  Roberto Magris & Eric Hochberg first connected in 2018 when Magris went to Chicago for his Suite! project. The Italian pianist and the Chicago-based bassist hit it off immediately, and Magris was determined to make more music with him. The result is the inspiring Shuffling Ivories, which Magris characterizes as his “personal tribute ... to African Americans who gave birth to jazz.” With a body of work that so far totals more than 30 albums in a variety of contexts, Magris has established himself as a stellar modern pianist, steeped in the blues and always swinging. Hochberg has been an active presence on the Chicago scene for decades, known for his solid time-keeping and lovely tone. As a team, their rapport is palpable from the start and clearly dedicated to beauty. It’s nearly impossible to single out any one piece for special praise here, as every track has its own charms. For repertoire, Magris went all the way back to the compositions of Eubie Blake for the well-known Memories of You and the more obscure The Chevy Chase (a favorite of Willie “the Lion” Smith), the CD’s lone solo piano number. Another “good old good one,” as Louis Armstrong used to say, is the Spencer Williams tune I’ve Found a New Baby, premiered in 1926. While it’s been played many hundreds of times since, Magris and Hochberg keep it fresh with a lively and rewarding conversation. More modern are Andrew Hill’s Laverne, presented in two versions, Cal Massey’s Quiet Dawn (from a 1972 Archie Shepp date), and organist Trudy Pitts’ soulful Anysha, first recorded by Rahsaan Roland Kirk in 1976. Even less well-known than Pitts is the pianist and composer Billy Gault, who penned The Time of This World is at Hand, a gospel blues that suits Magris’ style perfectly, with superlative support from Hochberg. We’re also treated to three Magris originals. One is the bouncy title track that opens the show. Later there’s Clef Club Jump, with a sinuous melody, spooky arco bass, and a few splashes of right hand piano notes that recall Don Pullen in a hint at Magris’ seldom-invoked avant-garde side. Towards the end of the set, Italy features Hochberg supplying a buoyant bossa beat and melodious solos. Shuffling Ivories is pretty much irresistible music-making from start to finish. Highly recommended. 

JMood JMOOD 021; Roberto Magris (p) Eric Hochberg (b); Chicago, IL, November 7, 2019; Shuffling Ivories/ I’ve Found a New Baby/ Clef Club Jump/ Memories of You/ The Time of This World is at Hand/ Quiet Dawn/ Laverne/ Anysha/ Italy/ The Chevy Chase/ Laverne (take 2); 67:21. www.jmoodrecords.com

Perry Smith: Peace

  Guitarist Perry Smith and his quietly simpatico trio with bassist Sam Minaie and drummer Dan Schnelle offer a calm musical program on Peace with straight-ahead interpretations of standards and a few jazz compositions. Richard Rodgers’ This Nearly Was Mine, from South Pacific, starts things off in a mellow vein, showcasing Smith’s clear, crisp sound. The temperature rises a bit for the trio’s romp through Sam Rivers’ Cyclic Episode, from the saxophonist’s Fuchsia Swing Song album for Blue Note. Schnelle drives the tune with a steady cymbal beat as Smith and bassist Minaie weave a tapestry of melodic invention. The result is a stirring performance that’s one of the disc’s highlights. Smith selected some grade A material for this outing. Their rendition of Jimmy Van Heusen’s Darn That Dream is very slow and rather downcast. Another Van Heusen song is the ever-lovely Like Someone In Love, which gets a tender reading by the band, featuring a moving bass solo by Minaie. Coming between them is another of the disc’s highlights, Billy Strayhorn’s Upper Manhattan Medical Group. A foot-tapping tempo, propulsive bass work by Minaie and Smith’s lyricism contribute to the track’s success. The title track is the Horace Silver song in a beautifully poised version, played with deep feeling. Guitarists have an immense field of possible influences. For this outing, Smith favors the classic jazz sound of his hollow-body Gibson ES-175. The trio recorded on a day when in Los Angeles in the middle of a tour, and the tight sound of the trio is evidence of the deep connection that they established on the road. Smith is based in Brooklyn, and when he returned to the West Coast to mix the album just before the pandemic, he recorded three solo guitar pieces which appear at the end of the trio material. Thad Jones’ A Child Is Born has been played hundreds of times since it first appeared in 1970 and Smith’s solo rendition emphasizes the loveliness of the melody. A snappy version of Victor Schertzinger’s I Remember You is my favorite of the solo tracks, with some deft playing setting up multiple lines. Finally, there’s a fine exploration of another oft-played song, Arthur Schwartz’s Alone Together. While it might have made more sense for sequencing to intersperse the solos with the trio material, the disc plays pretty well as it stands. Overall, it’s as comforting as Smith intended it to be, and I’m happy to have this music to turn to as a stress reducer. Recommended. 

Smith Tone; Perry Smith (g) Sam Minaie (b) Dan Schnelle (d); Los Angeles, CA, November 2019 exc. *February 2020 (solo guitar); This Nearly Was Mine/ Cyclic Episode/ Darn That Dream/ Upper Manhattan Medical Group/ Like Someone In Love/ Peace/ A Child is Born*/ I Remember You*/ Alone Together*; 43:29. www.perrysmithmusic.com

Masabumi Kikuchi: Hanamichi

  The late Japanese pianist Masabumi Kikuchi seems to have entranced everyone who ever met him or played with him. As saxophonist Greg Osby has noted, Kikuchi “can’t, or won’t, contour his thinking or approach to fit somebody’s ideal. You call him because you want what he offers.” He had a long career in Japan and the United States, and performed frequently with drummer Paul Motian starting in 1990. After hearing Kikuchi perform with Motian at the Village Vanguard in 2011, Sun Chung, a producer for ECM Records, struck up a friendship with the pianist that lasted until Kikuchi passed away in July 2015. Chung tried several times to organize a recording session, and was finally successful in December 2013. The resulting album, Hanamichi, is Kikuchi’s final studio recording, a solo effort. The program starts, improbably enough, with Mabel Wayne’s 1928 tune Ramona. This atomized rendition puts plenty of space into what was written as a waltz, allowing the listener to concentrate on Kikuchi’s gentle touch and mindful improvising. Up next is a piece that’s much more familiar to music fans, Gershwin’s Summertime. Kikuchi takes his time with the song, freely exploring the rich harmonies. Another well-known standard, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s My Favorite Things, appears in two versions. The first is loose and free, a meditation on the song’s structure. The second rendition is much sparser and supremely elegant. Ending the disc is Little Abi, a peaceful ballad written for his daughter, and per Kevin Whitehead’s informative liner note, a staple of his sets for decades. This version invests it with a nearly overwhelming tenderness. The album’s title comes from Kabuki theater. A hanamichi is a narrow raised platform which crosses the auditorium and connects the back of the hall to the stage. Sun Chung tells us in a liner note that in contemporary Japanese, the term “indicates the perfect way to end a career, the honorable way to leave a stage ...” This deeply inspirational music is a fitting capstone to Kikuchi’s remarkable life in music, and an impressive start to Chung’s new Red Hook Records imprint. Highest recommendation! 

Red Hook 1001; Masabumi Kikuchi (p); NYC, December 2013; Ramona/ Summertime/ My Favorite Things I/ My Favorite Things II/ Improvisation/ Little Abi; 41:08.  redhookrecords.com